How to Seal a Cork Top Bottle With Wax

By Misty Rodriguez

If you have bottles of wine that you plan on storing for a significant amount of time, you should protect the wine from the elements. For example, if oxygen comes in contact with the wine, it can sour and turn into vinegar. This can be especially disappointing if you invested hundreds of dollars for a fine, aged wine. One way to keep the air out of your wine bottles is to seal them with wax. A special type of wax, called bottle seal wax, comes in many different colors to match the labels on the bottle. You can find this wax online at various wine supply websites.

Keep your favorite wine from turning into vinegar by sealing the cork with wax.

Step 1

Rinse out an empty vegetable can. You can use another metal container, such a metal cup, but the vegetable can is ideal, since you can just throw it out after you're done.

Step 2

Pour 4 cups of hot water into a small pan and bring it to a boil. You can adjust the amount of water according to the size of your pan. The pan should be approximately 1/2 full of water. If it is too full, it will spill over when you put the vegetable can in it.

Step 3

Pour 1/2 cup of bottle seal wax in the empty vegetable can, and place the can inside the pot of water. Wait for the wax to melt, stirring occasionally with a wooden stick. Remove the can of wax from the boiling water once it is completely melted, and lay it on a few sheets of newspaper.

Step 4

Turn the wine bottle upside down, and keep it as straight as possible while you lower it down into the melted wax. Keeping it straight will give you a uniform, professional-looking seal.

Step 5

Pull the bottle out of the wax slowly, keeping it completely straight while you turn it a few times to let the excess wax drip off. Once the wax dries a bit which should happen very quickly, turn the bottle upright and allow it to dry completely.